Dolly Parton’s Donation to The Salvation Army Will Feed 2.5 Million in Need This Season
The nation's largest private provider of social services has allocated the $1 million gift to immediately serve local communities across the country through robust feeding and grocery programs
ALEXANDRIA, Va., (Dec. 15, 2023) – In honor of The Salvation Army's 27th annual Red Kettle Campaign Kickoff on Nov. 23, Dallas Cowboys halftime performer, Dolly Parton, generously donated $1 million to The Salvation Army to provide hope and support to people in need across the country. The music legend and devoted philanthropist’s gift has since been allocated to supply food as need typically increases as the holiday approaches.
"The Salvation Army is widely known for putting gifts under the tree for millions of kids at Christmas, but we actually provide even more people with food and groceries this time of year," said National Commander Kenneth G. Hodder. "Thanks to Ms. Parton’s generosity, more families across the country will have one less stress this holiday like wondering where they’ll get their next meal."
This gift comes at a crucial time with the depletion of federal aid programs and nationwide participation in Giving Tuesday continuing to decline. In fact, at a time when overall year-over-year giving is down by more than 10% when adjusted for inflation, the work and commitment from nongovernmental providers of social services such as The Salvation Army are more important than ever. One in three Americans say they are financially worse off now than they were a year earlier, almost 92 million people have had difficulty paying for essential household expenses in the last week, and 44.2 million people in America are food insecure.
Thanks to Parton’s gift, The Salvation Army’s four Territories in the United States are each receiving $250,000 that will then be distributed to local communities experiencing high demand for feeding services. The generous gift will provide approximately 625,000 meals in each Territory.
Only through donations raised through the Red Kettle Campaign can The Salvation Army help people struggling with poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, addiction, isolation, and more. For anyone wanting to support their local neighbors in need, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org to make a donation, or:
- Donate with cash, coins, and checks, or digitally with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo, at any Red Kettle across the country.
- Contact your local Salvation Army to sign up to volunteer at a Red Kettle.
Every donation stays in the community to provide help and hope for those in need.
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About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army helped nearly 24 million people in 2022 overcome poverty, addiction, and spiritual and economic hardships by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in His name without discrimination in nearly every zip code. By providing food, shelter, eviction prevention assistance, emergency disaster relief, rehabilitation, after-school and summer youth programs, spiritual enrichment, and more, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at nearly 7,000 centers of operation around the country. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on X @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.
USA Giving Report, June 2023. Summary from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Federal Reserve, May 2023. Summary of "Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households"
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Household Pulse Survey of "Spending Tables"
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service "Food Security Status of U.S. Households"